"Where is he?" Yuffie asked, unused to seeing Leon's chair at the breakfast table empty. Cloud shifted his glance to the empty spot as well, but didn't let on he was thinking the same thing as the ninja.
"He left early this morning, the king had a job for him back in Travers Town," Aerith explained kindly, smiling at Yuffie's pout.
"Do you know…when he'll be back?" she asked, her need to know overcoming her want to not be so obviously infatuated.
"No, but I doubt it'll be more than a couple of days."
The ninja frowned, sighing loudly as she picked at her food. She looked like she was contemplating abandoning the plate all together and holing herself up in her room until the brunet came back. Cloud's mouth twitched for a fraction of a second, his expression a mix between amusement and understanding of her reaction to the situation.
And so he nudged her gently under the table, motioning clearly at her plate when she looked up. She looked down at it as well, shrugging as if to say that she wasn't interested.
"We'll train in the Great Maw," He finally offered, "…once you're finished there."
Yuffie watched him for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah, okay, you're right."
o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Yuffie paced the house, frequently looking out the window or at the computer that displayed the atmosphere around their world, searching for Leon's gummi ship.
Cloud briefly wondered in anyone ever acted like this when he disappeared. But he abandoned the thought quickly: of course no one did, this kind of behavior was expected of him. And then, for a moment afterward, he wished that some one would care this much to notice his absence in more than passing. But he pushed that thought away soon after as well: it was better this way, as he left too frequently. It wouldn't do anyone any good to needlessly worry over him so often.
So he simply leaned against the nearest wall and watched Yuffie freak out, letting her express enough worry for the both of them.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
One day turned into two, then rolled on until the days totaled at five.
She waited up for him some nights, unwillingly succumbing to sleep on the worn couch. And Cloud would throw a blanket over her before leaving to prowl the streets, too restless to sleep himself.
Cloud tried to keep her busy during the day, but her thoughts already flitted around too much to not be constantly reminded of his absence.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
On the sixth morning Yuffie slumped to the kitchen reflexively, not actually all that interested in eating, Cloud following close behind.
"Leon!" she squealed the moment she walked into the room, noticing his recently missing presence in his normal spot. He looked up from some reports Cloud had taken care of in his absence, offering a nod in greeting.
But Yuffie would have nothing of his irritating formality. She bounded forward and threw her arms around him, almost knocking him off his chair with the hug,
"What took you so long?! You could have had Spiky and I come with you if it was too hard!"
Leon patted her back somewhat awkwardly, grey eyes connecting with the bright blue ones still in the doorway. He pushed the over excited ninja back as he nodded in the other warrior's direction,
"Strife."
"Leonhart." Cloud responded, offering a small nod of his own as he sat in his seat at the table; all the tension instantly vacating his muscles, his entire being reverting back to calm and collected, the ever unreadable expression in place. Back to being normal, before Leon disappeared, as if the brunet had never left.
He drank the milk Aerith set before him, seeming indifferent, letting Yuffie express enough relief and joy for the both of them.
